


Das gewisse Etwas

by petalstorm (orphan_account)



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: F/M, First Love, Friends to Lovers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-27
Updated: 2015-03-27
Packaged: 2018-03-19 21:13:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,008
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3624462
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/petalstorm
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Teppei is in love with Riko, and he needs to confess to her now. But when is “now”?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Das gewisse Etwas

**Author's Note:**

> Das gewisse Etwas is German and means “the special something”. It is a lot more impactful in my eyes than its English counterpart though.
> 
> The inspiration is from here: http://www.aseaofquotes.com/post/111204178618/jennifer-niven-all-the-bright-places

Riko is in love. She is aware and she makes a point to not make anyone show, to the point Hyuuga sometimes asks her if she’s alright. For that occasion, as well, she makes a point to say “Yes,” because she in love is hardly Hyuuga’s problem. Besides, he can’t keep his mouth shut, and she doesn’t want anybody else from the Seirin clubroom to know about her little secret. It’s only something she should know and, after some time, the guy in question. So, she’s with this feeling all for herself, and has this knowledge all for herself.

 

At least, this is what Teppei thinks Riko would do when she would be in love with him. But the question at stake is a different one – it is how _he_ is in love with _her_ , and how he is supposed to cope with it.

Asking someone doesn’t feel right at all, because no one would come up with actually relevant things. The first-years feel kind of out of question for him – and besides, he doesn’t want to burden them with his problems.

Problems? No. Not problems. Loving Riko isn’t the problem. It’s his inability to communicate with her during that process. Which, in turn, is interesting – she is only human, and Teppei is very well able to talk with human (Hyuuga would say he’s _too_ good at talking to others, and even talking too much at times).  It’s interesting; Riko is only human. Aida Riko is pretty much composed of the same things as he is. And yet, the exact components he has in his own body make his heart race as though he’s had three matches at once and shuts his mouth like it’s put together with duck tape. It feels weird and it feels… exciting. Nice and bad. Black and white. But most importantly, he feels like he’s got no control over his feelings, as though they’re just overflowing. And that’s what he hates the most. So, he needs to fix this problem now.

But what, and when, is “now”?

 

“Teppei, stop dillydallying and move your ass over here!” Hyuuga yells for the who-knows-what time already, and this is where Teppei knows that he needs to stop. He needs to stop… being like this. But how does someone stop? How does he stop falling out of love? Does it work, anyway?

“Ahh, sorry, I was a little out of it,” Teppei replies non-chalantly (he hopes), but inside he’s boiling.

“You’re always out of it, since you’re always staying at the Out line,” Izuki jokes – no, actually states, because Teppei actually does stand on the Out line right now.

He feels his knee shaking for the first time in ages.

 “Teppei-san!!” Kagami yells. “I can take over for you too if you’re not feeling well!” Kuroko, too, looks with worried eyes. Everyone looks with worried eyes at him, or shall we say: his knee.

“Please take a break, Teppei,” Riko says with a final voice (but it doesn’t make his legs move in the slightest)

Goddammit. This needs to stop. But once he sees Riko’s worried gaze, his legs turn to stone. It is awful; this is not even just affecting his feelings anymore, this is downright affecting his entire body. And not only his body; the entire team too. He hates it. He needs to stop it. But how? And when will this “now” appear?

 

The question is another though. How, and when, and _why_ did he end up liking someone who has the exact components as him? When did it all start? And when will it all stop? Does he, Teppei Kiyoshi, even _want_ it to stop? Does he like it how he feels right now? Because, he thinks, being in love isn’t so bad. His reactions (or rather, his body’s) to this thing are.

Is love more chemistry, or more physics? Is love electricity between two, or is love simply chemistry inside one? Is it the same thing? Are these things seperable? Is he feeling love, or just affection that goes over the top?

He knows: As long as he doesn’t answer these questions, he will always find himself in a situation like before, with Hyuuga yelling and Izuki worrying in his own way.

 

“Please, Teppei, I would hate it if you ever were to pace yourself too much, okay?” Riko says while the others are playing (he notices she has a very pale face and heavy eyebags). “Please take care,” she adds and looks worriedly over his knee, which is still shaking (because of her), and he is baffled yet again at how much he likes her. He likes her so much… he could basically kiss her now.

This is it.

He suddenly feels relieved, as if love is a stone and is lifted from his lungs. He breathes in deeply, and it feels so _good_. Why was he so afraid before again? Teppei doesn’t know.

“I will, of course.” He’s even genuinely smiling. Part of him could just start laughing. “But, more importantly, Riko, I see you’ve been pretty pale these days, are _you_ fine?” There is a confidence in him that grows extremely rapidly, and he leans closer to Riko, but leaving space so that she doesn’t immediately blush.

“I- I should be fine, but don’t worry about me too much! Care about your knee-“ she leans down to his knee, and he successfully manages to touch her chin gently and to push it softly up. Riko looks at him startled, and before she even _finds_ the time to blush, Teppei leans over and kisses.

This is the now he was looking for.

Now is the moment.

 

She is composed of flesh, blood and bones. He is composed of flesh, blood and bones. From bottom to top, they are more or less the same. And yet, there is something else that made him love her. Things can’t be this easy. Things will never be this easy. And to be perfectly honest…

 

Teppei is all fine with the complications love gives. (Somewhat).


End file.
